Art Everyday

Image source

In 1992, the artist Rirkrit Tiravanija created a conceptual artwork at a commercial gallery in NYC. The piece was called Untitled (Free) and consisted of the artist making a serving rice and curry to gallery visitors for free. MoMa recently recreated the work of art and has a great video that gets to the heart of what makes this work so special.

For Your Monday

Image source

I hope everyone had a great weekend. It's a dreary day in DC so here are a few links to cheer and warm you up on your Monday!

I made this soup last night.  It was delish. I substituted barely for the lentils, which was great, but I'm sure lentils would be good too!

My new favorite pajamas.

A cozy, super soft scarf from the Gap.

I want to make these cookies.

I loved this article posted on one of my favorite blogs A Cup of Jo about what people have worn to their interviews with Anna Wintour at Vogue.

The greatest sporting event of the year, the Puppy Bowl, is just around the corner! Check out the puppy cam here. 

Some funny fails.

I love these photos of the day after a gorgeous wedding in India. It looks so magical!

Happy Caturday

I always tease Ian that he spoils our pets. It's so hard for him not to give them what they want. It's kind of cute how sweet he is with them, but it has led to some not so sweet consequences.  A good example of this is that one day Ian decided it would be nice to give Jack a little spoonful of half and half while he was making coffee in the morning.  A year later, this little bit of half and half is no longer a special treat for Jack, but something he feels he rightfully deserves each morning. As soon as Jack smells even a hint of coffee he races into the kitchen and starts pacing around. If Ian's not quick with the half and half, Jack starts meowing just like the little guy in the video. I can even hear him upstairs while I'm getting ready for work and they are downstairs in the kitchen. When Lola wants something badly enough to meow for it, the meow is so sweet and polite as if she's saying, "If it's not too much of a bother I would really appreciate if you could help me out with...". Not Jack! His meows sound more like "GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!"  Ian has definitely created a little morning monster (he has two on his hands now, since I'm the same way with my coffee ;).

Winter Wonderland

DC got a fresh dusting of snow this afternoon and evening.  Ian met me at the gallery after work and as we walked to the car I felt like I was in a winter wonderland. The fallen snow glittered on the ground, the moon was out and nearly full, the streets were quiet, and the windows of the stately Georgetown homes glowed with warmth. Such a pretty moment.

Image: The earliest known photograph of a snowflake taken in 1885 by Wilson Bentley. Learn more here.

Art Everyday

This little gem is a 1971 Van Cleef and Arpels brooch/pendant. It was featured in the exhibition Set in Style at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York. The wings become earrings, the tail is a brooch, and the hanging pendant is removable to be worn separately. Quite a piece of engineering! 

Art Everyday

Ai Weiwei, Cube of Light, 2008 (currently on view at the Hirshhorn)

Art Everyday

Jasper Johns, Flag, 1954-55, encaustic, oil and collage on fabric mounted on plywood, 42 x 61 inches

Happy Caturday!

Love the cover of The New Yorker this week!

Afternoon Delight

 

Art Everyday

Gustav Klimt, Tree of Life, 1911

This frieze by Gustave Klimt is located in the private residence of the Palais Stoclet, an Art Nouveau masterpiece combining architecture, art, design, and landscape architecture.  Read more about its history and current state here.

Palais Stoclet

Rise and Shine: New Paintings by Patrick Brennan

Installation view

On Friday, the gallery hosted an opening reception for our new exhibition, Rise and Shine: New Paintings by Patrick Brennan.  Margaret and I first met Patrick about two years ago, shortly before the gallery opened when we were in NYC doing studio visits.  Patrick was one of the artists whose studio we visited and we knew right away that we wanted to work with him. We are happy to finally have the chance!

Here are a few shots from the opening reception:

The artist and his NY dealer

Here's the press release for the show if you are curious to learn more about Patrick and his work:

Heiner Contemporary is delighted to present Rise and Shine: New Paintings by Patrick Brennan, a solo exhibition by the Brooklyn based painter.  Combining craft supplies such as puffy paint, glitter, and Popsicle sticks with cut fabric, paper, and a diverse color palette, Brennan creates exuberant abstractions that play with layering, camouflage, and cropping.  Stenciled patterns, neon splatters, gestural brushstrokes, and geometric add-ons and cut-outs encourage viewers to consider the work’s creation.  Indeed, Brennan has described his paintings as “visual handshakes,” invitations to look closely and examine the many layers, which point to the history of the work as well as the artist’s relationship to it.

The paintings in Rise and Shine demonstrate a subtle shift in the artist’s practice. While Brennan’s larger works are loaded with “stuff,” his new, smaller paintings are more restrained. Brennan is increasingly interested in color: kaleidoscopic, manufactured shades that inject humor into the works. However, his process is still very much about discovery, allowing the paintings to grow organically and embracing accidents that inevitably occur. Brennan’s “kitsch-craft” materials, color choices, and openness to experimentation combine to create paintings that are remarkably original.

Born in Syracuse, New York, Patrick Brennan lives and works in New York City. He Studied at Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute and received a BFA in Painting and Video Art from Alfred University in 1998. Exhibitions include: Romer Young Gallery, Galerie LeLong, MOMA / PS1, Nicole Klagsbrun Gallery, Halsey McKay Gallery, Monya Rowe Gallery, ZieherSmith Gallery, Edward Thorpe Gallery, Artist Space and Clifton Benevento. Brennan has been awarded residencies at Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta GA, Burren College of Art (Ireland), and The Experimental Television Center Owego, NY.

Working away at the front desk :)

Art Everyday

This photograph is part of a project by artist Pieter Hugo called The Hyena & Other Men. Hugo's work is totally absorbing for me. I think part of the reason I am so drawn to it is because it's difficult for me to decide how I feel about it. On many levels the works are highly disturbing, featuring people making a living in ways that make western audiences uncomfortable (or at least me).  They are raw and gritty and heartbreaking. In other ways the works are beautiful. The compositions are exquisite and they open a window to a world I would otherwise never know. They also remind me of how incredibly luck I am.

The text below is found on the artist's website (which I highly recommend visiting and checking out his other equally fascinating projects), and while it's long I think it's worth the read.

THE DOG’S MASTER

These photographs came about after a friend emailed me an image taken on a cellphone through a car window in Lagos, Nigeria, which depicted a group of men walking down the street with a hyena in chains. A few days later I saw the image reproduced in a South African newspaper with the caption ‘The Streets of Lagos’. Nigerian newspapers reported that these men were bank robbers, bodyguards, drug dealers, debt collectors. Myths surrounded them. The image captivated me.

Through a journalist friend I eventually tracked down a Nigerian reporter, Adetokunbo Abiola, who said that he knew the ‘Gadawan Kura’ as they are known in Hausa (a rough translation: ‘hyena handlers/guides’).

A few weeks later I was on a plane to Lagos. Abiola met me at the airport and together we took a bus to Benin City where the ‘hyena men’ had agreed to meet us. However, when we got there they had already departed for Abuja.

In Abuja we found them living on the periphery of the city in a shantytown - a group of men, a little girl, three hyenas, four monkeys and a few rock pythons. It turned out that they were a group of itinerant minstrels, performers who used the animals to entertain crowds and sell traditional medicines. The animal handlers were all related to each other and were practising a tradition passed down from generation to generation. I spent eight days travelling with them.

The spectacle caused by this group walking down busy market streets was overwhelming. I tried photographing this but failed, perhaps because I wasn’t interested in their performances. I realised that what I found fascinating was the hybridisation of the urban and the wild, and the paradoxical relationship that the handlers have with their animals - sometimes doting and affectionate, sometimes brutal and cruel. I started looking for situations where these contrasting elements became apparent. I decided to concentrate on portraits. I would go for a walk with one of the performers, often just in the city streets, and, if opportunity presented itself, take a photograph. We travelled around from city to city, often chartering public mini-buses.

I agreed to travel with the animal wranglers to Kanu in the northern part of the country. One of them set out to negotiate a fare with a taxi driver; everyone else, including myself and the hyenas, monkeys and rock pythons, hid in the bushes. When their companion signalled that he had agreed on a fare, the motley troupe of humans and animals leapt out from behind the bushes and jumped into the vehicle. The taxi driver was completely horrified. I sat upfront with a monkey and the driver. He drove like an absolute maniac. At one stage the monkey was terrified by his driving. It grabbed hold of my leg and stared into my eyes. I could see its fear.

Two years later I decided to go back to Nigeria. The project felt unresolved and I was ready to engage with the group again. I look back at the notebooks I had kept while with them. The words ‘dominance’, ‘codependence’ and ‘submission’ kept appearing. These pictures depict much more than an exotic group of travelling performers in West Africa. The motifs that linger are the fraught relationships we have with ourselves, with animals and with nature.

The second trip was very different. By this stage there was a stronger personal relationship between myself and the group. We had remained in contact and they were keen to be photographed again. The images from this journey are less formal and more intimate.

The first series of pictures had caused varying reactions from people - inquisitiveness, disbelief and repulsion. People were fascinated by them, just as I had been by that first cellphone photograph. A director of a large security company in the USA contacted me, asking how to get in touch with the ‘hyena group’. He saw marketing potential: surely these men must use some type of herb to protect themselves against hyenas, baboons, dogs and snakes? He thought that security guards, soldiers and his own pocket could benefit from this medicine.

Many animal-rights groups also contacted me, wanting to intervene (however, the keepers have permits from the Nigerian government). When I asked Nigerians, “How do you feel about the way they treat animals”, the question confused people. Their responses always involved issues of economic survival. Seldom did anyone express strong concern for the well-being of the creatures. Europeans invariably only ask about the welfare of the animals but this question misses the point. Instead, perhaps, we could ask why these performers need to catch wild animals to make a living. Or why they are economically marginalised. Or why Nigeria, the world’s sixth largest exporter of oil, is in such a state of disarray.

Text by Pieter Hugo


THE HYENA MEN

Abdullahi Ahmadu was 15 years old when he joined his father’s business in the small town of Malumfashi in Katsina State, Nigeria. This meant that he had to acquire his own hyena, as his family made their living as entertainers accompanied by hyenas, snakes and monkeys, in addition to selling the fetishes and herbal medicines that are popular in Nigeria.

Abdullahi’s grandfather, Nalado Ahmadu, taught him how to catch and control the animals, and introduced him to the charms that help subdue the creatures and protect their captors from harm.
Today Abdullahi is an experienced animal handler in his early thirties, who travels across Nigeria as part of a troupe of entertainers including his younger brother, Yahaya, and other members of his extended family. Together they work with three hyenas, two rock pythons and four baboons. According to Abdullahi, this is a tradition exclusive to his family, and only they are taught the secrets of how to trap and take care of the creatures.

The first time I met up with the hyena men, as they have become known, the group was staying in a ramshackle three-bedroom apartment in Dei Dei Junction, a suburb of the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The animals were housed in specially constructed boxes. Every member of the party had sores and scars on their faces, legs and hands - legacies of times when the animals suddenly turned hostile and pounced on their handlers with their teeth and claws.

‘We use a heavy stick to hit the hyenas on the head when they misbehave,’ Abdullahi said. ‘We knock them down on the ground. All of us hold the sticks in case the animals become aggressive.’
However, Abdullahi’s daughter, six-year-old ‘Mummy’, played with the animals with no sign of fear. She even rode a hyena as if it were a miniature, slope-shouldered pony. ‘She cannot be harmed,’ said Abdullahi. ‘It’s the same thing with the snakes and monkeys. She has taken a potion of traditional herbs and has been bathed with it. So her safety from the animals is guaranteed for the rest of her life.’

The animal handlers make use of herbs, concoctions, powders, amulets and esoteric incantations to catch and train their captives, protect themselves against harm and build up their own confidence. Amulets are also placed into ‘akayau’, metal rings tied around the men’s ankles, to enhance their dancing skills. The handlers believe that humans are capable of transforming themselves into animals such as hyenas, hence the need for powerful voodoo charms and incantations as protection.

When setting out on an expedition to capture a hyena, Abdullahi and his partners drink a protective potion and also bathe themselves with it. They travel to the caves and forests of northern Nigeria accompanied by hunting dogs which assist in sniffing out the animals. The young men use a powerful torch to light their way through the darkness, believing that the potion they drank has made them invisible to the animal. At the entrance to the animal’s lair, they chant incantations and blow clouds of white powder, a traditional African tranquiliser, at its face, rendering it senseless and easy to subdue. Sometimes, the powerful light from the hyena’s eyes might damage the bulb of the torch, but the men eventually have their way.

‘After bringing the animal out of the cave,’ said one of the handlers, ‘it will fight, since it’s not familiar with humans. A traditional medicine is administered to its body so it automatically becomes obedient to us. It begins to obey all our commands.’

The animal is subjected to one or two months of training. It must learn to live alongside other animals and humans, and to engage in different kinds of play without becoming violent. In return, the handlers feed the hyenas with scraps purchased from abattoirs (a goat every three days or so helps prevent the animals becoming aggressive). Maintaining good relations with the animals, said Abdullahi, requires both skill and tact.

‘They’re alert and the slightest sound keeps them awake,’ he said. ‘They hate hot environments so they’re kept in a cool place. When necessary, cold water is sprinkled on their bodies to comfort them. They’re very sensitive creatures.’

Galadima Ahmadu, who controls a hyena named Jamis, explained that the handlers wear ‘bante’ dress and charms. ‘If we give onlookers the charms, they can play with the animals as well and they won’t be harmed,’ he said. The concoctions sold to the public are meant to protect against snake, hyena or monkey bites, while the charms and amulets shield people from the antics of witches and wizards, which many Nigerians believe are responsible for their misfortunes.

The animals are good business. The family has sold traditional potions and charms for many years, but trade increased dramatically after the acquisition of the hyenas and other creatures. ‘We parade the animals on the streets,’ said Mallam Mantari, the owner of a 13-year-old hyena named Mainasara. ‘They can be very funny and the public showers them with money.’

As unemployment and poverty continue to bite in Nigeria, youths in particular must devise inventive ways of making money for survival. ‘I’ve been in this business since childhood,’ said Abdullahi Mohammed, a quiet young man who is responsible for a baboon called Frayo. ‘This animal has helped us. The money we make gives us food every day. This runs into a few thousand naira.’

I travelled with the group from Ogere-Remo to Bar Beach at Victoria Island in Lagos, and watched as scores of fascinated people were entranced by the spectacle of the hyenas, monkeys and snakes being paraded through the streets. Commercial buses and private cars stop, causing a traffic jam, while passengers gape at the animals as they perform their tricks. Within seconds people start to gather and a crowd forms, everyone staring in wonder.

Yahaya Ahmadu explained how they operate: ‘When we get to a place, we make the baboons do somersaults, jump on the back of motorcycles and shake people’s hands. Those watching are impressed with our animals. Before you know it, naira notes start to fly here and there. Some throw them at the baboons, others give directly. The baboons bring the money to us and we put it in the common till.’

Important members of the troupe include the drummers, Nura Garuba, Abdulkarim Lawal and Sanusi Ahmed. They follow the hyena men as they travel from city to city, beating the traditional Hausa drums that are the signal for the baboons to start dancing.

Others in the group are traditional healers. According to Yahaya, ‘They make herbs to take care of snake bites, scorpion stings and other animal problems. We also have herbs for spiritual problems, and illnesses such as typhoid fever, malaria and syphilis. When we get to a market, street junction or public place, people gather to watch us. We use the opportunity to sell these herbs to them.’

In addition to street shows, the animal handlers take part in film projects and make money from the sale of wild animals. ‘Any animal that people want, we can get for them,’ said Yahaya, who claims that they have supplied hyenas, pythons and other animals to zoos in Nigeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Benin. ‘A mature hyena is sold for one hundred and fifty thousand naira, but a cub is more expensive at two hundred and fifty thousand naira. This is because a cub can be trained. An adult baboon goes for fifteen thousand naira, a young one for eight thousand. A python goes for eight to ten, depending on the size.’

The hyena men use the hunting dogs that accompany them to trap smaller animals for food. Konyami Murtala, who handles a baboon called Mora, said the dogs catch rabbits, grass cutters, antelopes and other small animals in the forests surrounding their camps. These animals are skinned and eaten or offered for sale.

People who benefit indirectly from the hyena men’s business include the bus drivers who transport the animals from town to town. According to Lekan Fabuyi, who plies the Ogere-Remo/Lagos route, the drivers charge higher than usual rates for carrying the wild animals, making the animal handlers their preferred customers.

Other beneficiaries are the provision store owners and food vendors who locate their small businesses at the outskirts of towns, where the hyena handlers usually set up their makeshift wooden huts amid abandoned houses, cluster of shacks and the inevitable cattle markets. Store-owner Biola Adekumi said: ‘When they’re around we sell more. Also, they give us fun, especially the younger ones. Their animals make us laugh and feel lively.’

Not everyone views the hyena men in such a favourable light. Although they have licenses to operate their business from a number of states in Nigeria, officials occasionally harass them and prevent them moving their animals about. One official commented: ‘These animals are wild. No matter how you handle them, an animal is always an animal. Tame an animal for ten years and one day it’ll behave like an animal. For instance, if a hyena breaks loose it can attack and kill people. I don’t think these people should be allowed to carry these animals about.’

The entertainers have also been accused by the Nigerian police of using the animals to threaten or intimidate members of the public into parting with money or possessions. In June 2004 a report in Lagos newspaper This Day claimed that an armed ‘gang who used a hyena and a monkey to rob their victims’ had a shootout with police. The paper reported that two gang members were killed and four arrested, while a policeman ended up in hospital after being bitten by a hyena. The hyena and a monkey were shot.

Abdullahi Ahmadu gives a different side of the story: ‘We refused to stop at a police checkpoint, so the police opened fire on us, killing two hyenas and two fellow policemen. To protect themselves, they fixed a charge of armed robbery on us. Thank God, the case has died a natural death.’
The bus driver, Lekan Fabuyi, defended the hyena men, saying: ‘They eat by taking these animals around. Stop them and they take to criminality. Those criticising cannot give them another job.’

Indeed, the troupe’s diverse activities generate enough money for their daily survival and to establish maize and yam farms. Abdullahi Mohammed, for example, owns a farm in Danja in Katsina State, and Yahaya said the group has plans to establish a cassava farm in Ogene-Ofada in Kogi State.
After three days of following the group, I was preparing to leave when the hyena men brought their menagerie of animals to the side of a road in Lagos. The drummers struck a beat and the baboons pranced about and jumped. Passing cars stopped and their passengers craned their necks through the windows and gaped. Motorbike riders parked at the fringe of a gathering crowd and stared in fascination. The handlers shouted at the baboons and they somersaulted and performed several acrobatic movements. Before long naira notes started being thrown at them. As one onlooker commented, ‘Though their way of making money is odd, these people are in real business.’

Text by Adetokunbo Abiola

Date Night

Last week Ian and I went out to dinner at one of our favorite spots, El Centro D.F.  Being west coasters Ian and I LOVE Mexican food and were so disappointed by our options in DC, until we found El Centro, that is.  El Centro has a great roof top bar and serves the best chips and salsa in town! They also have really good margaritas. They have happy hour on the roof daily from 5-7 and during the summer Ian and I would meet there after work to grab a margarita (or two) and some chips and salsa before heading downstairs for dinner. 

Their chips and salsa and margaritas would have me coming back on a regular basis on their own, but El Centro also has the best pork carnitas tacos I have ever had. I order them every single time I go. Ian tried the fish tacos once, but thought the pork tacos were better and now orders them every time too. For some unknown reason, they took the carnitas tacos off the menu months ago. I was heartbroken when I saw that they were missing. Luckily, you can still order them off the menu (and you get to feel really cool doing it ;) ). 

I meant to take pictures of our food, but I was enjoying it so much I completely forgot! (The photos from in this post are from El Centro's website except for the first which is from washingtonblade.com)

Art Everyday

Cornelia Parker is a British artist best known for her installations. Parker uses objects that have strong social, cultural, or historical ties and presents them outside of their original context.  One of her more famous pieces, Mass (Colder Darker Matter), was featured at the Turner Prize Exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London in 1997.  Mass (Colder Darker Matter) features the burnt remains of a church in Texas that was struck by lightening.

In 2005 Parker created a companion piece to Mass (Colder Darker Matter) titled Anti-Mass. This work also featured the charred remains of a church, in this case a predominately Black congregation in Kentucky that was set on fire by arson.

...And because I can't resist, here's one more (unrelated) project by Cornelia. Titled Shared Fate, 1998 this work features objects that were cut using the same guillotine that beheaded Marie Antoinette.

Art Everyday

Agnes Denes, Wheatfield, A Confrontation, 1982

In 1982, conceptual artist Agnes Denes planted a two-acre wheat field in downtown Manhattan (in what is now Battery Park) by hand. Learn more about her project here.

Sunday Morning

Happy Caturday!

I love this tote bag from Stay Home Club! Nine times out of ten I prefer staying home and snuggling with my kitties (especially during these winter months) so I completely identify with this brand. Enjoy the pictures below!

 

Jack and Lola getting cozy without me. Jack's lion cut has almost grown out. We need to make another appointment for him to be shaved.

You can't really tell from this picture, but that's me under the blanket. Lola loves to curl up with me on the couch and I love it too! It's our girl time together :).

Art Everyday

Image courtesy of the artist website

Laura Bell, Black Forest, 2009

This photograph by Laura Bell reminds me of a scene from a fairytale...a creepy, "un-Dinsneyfied", Brothers Grimm type fairytale. You can purchase a print of this photograph and see more of Laura's work on 20x200.

Art Everyday

Image courtesy of The Phillips Collection

Morris Louis, Seal, 1959, acrylic on canvas, 101 x 141 inches

Read more about Seal here and check out The Phillips Collection's blog.  Here's another image to give a sense of scale:

Art Everyday

Mickalene Thomas, Le dejeuner sur l'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires, 2009, acrylic and enamel on panel, 120 x 288 inches

Art Everyday

Image courtesy of the artist's website

Will Ryman, The Roses, 2011

When I lived in New York, my apartment was just a couple of blocks off of Park Avenue, where Will Ryman's site specific The Roses was installed.  The winter I was there had one of the highest snowfalls on  record in NYC and The Roses added a great pop of color and whimsy to the cold city. The installation was composed of nearly 40 sculptures, the tallest being 25 feet and covered 10 blocks.

Happy Caturday

This is a fun little video about the cats of the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Check out this article from the New Yorker  for more info about the cats. Maybe I should start bringing Jack and Lola to the gallery ;).

Art Everday

Diego Velazquez,  Las Meninas, 1656, oil on canvas,  125 x 108 inches

Party Chignon

I tend to get bored with my hair pretty often. I'll grow it out and then chop it off and then grow it out again.  I've even been known to dye it dark a few times and have given bangs a try. A less drastic way for me to deal with my hair doldrums is to try out new hairdos.  My hair is finally getting long enough that I'm able to play around with updos and when I came across this tutorial for a chignon on She Lets Her Hair Down, I thought it would be a good one to test.

The instructions were very simple and I think it took less than 5 minutes for me to achieve the look (although I wish I had the fun star pins she uses in the tutorial). The hairdo was perfect for a recent holiday party and I think I'll give it another go at our next gallery opening. Definitely one to keep in the roster!

Art Everyday

Andy Warhol, Diamond Dust Shoes (Random), acrylic, silkscreen ink, diamond dust on linen, 1980

Art Everyday

Giorgio de Chirico, The Red Tower, 1913, oil on canvas

Happy New Year?

In case anyone is having a hard time transitioning from vacation to the work week (and maybe feeling a bit like the dog above), the forty greatest dog gifs are sure to cheer you up!

New Year's Eve Dinner

Ian and I had a pretty quiet New Year's Eve, which was just fine with both of us. We were in bed long before midnight struck, but to make the evening a little special I cooked up a yummy risotto dinner and tried out a new dessert.

My sister-in-law Whitney gave me this fabulous set of party plates for Christmas. Perfect for serving desserts!

I got this recipe for risotto several years ago from Bon Appetite...I think, but it's been so long I can't remember for sure.


Risotto Bianco
About 3 cans low sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin oil olive
1 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to a bare simmer. Heat the olive olive in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt and saute until onion is soft, about 8 minutes, do not let color.  Stir in rice an cook, stirring until rice is hot, about two minutes. Add wine and simmer, stirring until absorbed. Begin by adding the hot stock one cup at a time, stirring often and adding more liquid only after the previous liquid is absorbed.  Adjust heat to maintain a simmer. It should take about 20  minutes for rice to become creamy and al dente. You may not need all the liquid, if you need a little more use boiling water.
Remove risotto from heat and stir in butter and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and divide among warmed bowls. Serve immediately.

Note: I often serve this risotto "plain" but sometimes I like to add veggies like asparagus or mushrooms. I cook the veggies separately and add with the butter and cheese.


My Grandpa Bob and Grandma Liz sent me a cookbook called Rustic Fruit Desserts by Cory Schrieber and Julie Richardson for Christmas and I've been looking forward to trying one of the recipes. I decided on Cranberry Upside-Down Almond Cake for last night's dessert.

Cranberry Upside-Down Almond Cake

1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature, for pan

Fruit Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds
3 cups cranberries fresh or frozen

Cake:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup (4 oz) almond paste
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round baking pan.
To make the fruit topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it in an even layer. Sprinkle the almonds over the sugar mixture, then evenly distribute the cranberries in the pan.
To make the cake, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, almond paste, and sugar together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Gently spread spread the batter over the cranberries in an even layer.
Bake for  60 to 65 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes.
To flip the cake out of its pan, first run a knife around the edges, then place a flat plate or serving platter face down over the top of the cake and quickly invert the cake onto a platter in one fell swoop. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or Chantilly cream.
Storage: wrapped in plastic wrap, this cake will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Christmas in Albuquerque

Ian and I had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays in Albuquerque. Ian's parents Amy and Allen welcomed us to town with champagne and home made smoked salmon blinis. So fancy (and delicious)! Ian's brother Andrew and his wife Whitney were in town as well and it was wonderful to spend time with everyone and catch up.

On Christmas Eve we took a family walk to Los Poblanos, a nature preserve in Albuquerque.  The view of the Sandia Mountains was incredible and the sky was unbelievably blue.

 

One of my favorite Christmas time traditions in New Mexico is the lighting of luminarias on Christmas Eve. Whole neighborhoods participate and the effect is so pretty and festive!

 

On Christmas we headed over to the annual white elephant gift exchange at the home of the Boltons, longtime family friends of the Parkmans. Everyone had a great time...

...including the dogs (there were six altogether)...

...and especially the kids!

Hope your holidays were merry and bright!